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Boise State Athletics
Saturday, December 20
Sacramento, Calif.
Boise State
31
vs
29
Eastern Kentucky
BSU Captures National Crown
12/21/1980 2:24:00 PM | Football
Aliotti’s last-chance pass wins
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Joe Aliotti – college football's answer to Minnesota Fats, Amarillo Slim and every other character who mocks the law of averages – saved his best for last Saturday afternoon.
On the last play of his college football career, on a fourth down that everybody watching on national television knew dictated pass, and with no time left for a second chance, Aliotti once again did the impossible and passed Boise State University to the NCAA's Division I-AA football championship.
Aliotti's blooper pass to tight end Duane Dlouhy – all alone in the left corner of the end zone – with 12 seconds left in the game gave the Broncos a 31-29 victory over Eastern Kentucky before 8,157 spectators and an ABC national television audience in the Camellia Bowl.
Aliotti finished the game with a stunning 24 of 41 passing performance that was worth 358 yards, two touchdowns and a national football championship for the Broncos. A lot of those yards went to split end Kipp Bedard, who took in 11 catches for 212 yards, one of them a 5-yard touchdown.
"I feel 15 feet high," said BSU coach Jim Criner, whose Broncos had 510 yards total offense. More than 1,000 friends and relatives from nearby Pittsburgh, Calif., Aliotti's hometown, were watching at Hughes Stadium as Aliotti led the win. The senior quarterback took the win as if he pulled off miracles every day after lunch.
"Never-say-die, that's why we're champions," said Aliotti to the press, a wad of chewing tobacco settled in the left corner of his mouth. "We knew we could do it."
That Aliotti-to-Dlouhy pass came just 49 seconds after Eastern Kentucky, the defending I-AA champion, exploded into the lead with a 60-yard pass from quarterback Chris Isaac to split end David Booze. That made it 29-24 with just 55 seconds left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff went into the end zone, leaving the Broncos 80 yards from Eastern Kentucky's end zone.
Eastern Kentucky coach Roy Kidd felt like the Colonels were on the verge of winning their second straight national championship after that Isaac-to-Booze pass.
"I knew they'd move the ball, but I felt the best they could get was into field-goal range," Kidd said. "I didn't think they could score a touchdown."
With the ball on their own 20, Boise State's offense went to work, attacking the sidelines so they wouldn't lose much time on the clock. Naturally, Bedard – who had the stands buzzing with his fluid moves against the quicker Eastern Kentucky secondary – was the primary target for a couple of reasons. One, he was hot Saturday and, two, the Broncos' other wide receivers – flankers Scott Newmann and freshman Ron Harvey -w ere so fragile due to injuries.
Criner wasn't sure they'd get through the entire game.
Bedard proved to be enough, however.
On the touchdown drive's first play, Aliotti fired to Bedard at the Bronco 38. Bedard stepped out of bounds with 50 seconds left, Aliotti came right back to Bedard at the Colonel 48. Now, there were 44 seconds left.
The next play was the big one. Aliotti hit a streaking Bedard at about the 25 and he got to the 14 before being dragged down by George Floyd.
"That was just a makeup play," said Bedard of the 34-yard gain. "It was supposed to be an out (pattern) but Joe didn't throw so I just turned up."
Floyd saw Aliotti scramble and hesitated, dropping off Bedard to help contain Aliotti.
"Suddenly Joe saw me and threw me a strike," Bedard said.
Then the drive went sour.
Aliotti overthrew both Bedard and fullback David Hughes on successive downs. On third down, a shot across the middle intended for Bedard was broken up by free safety Rodney Bird.
That made it fourth and 10 at the 14 with just 12 seconds left.
"The primary receiver was supposed to be Duane," said Aliotti, referring to the 6-foot-5 junior tight end from Coeur d'Alene. "I went to Duane but he was covered so I went right. I looked back and he was open."
Aliotti fired the pass up and over an Eastern Kentucky player scrambling back to try and head off disaster for the Colonels but he was too late. Dlouhy gathered in the pass and Boise State had the lead.
"All I had to do was get open and then he saw me in the corner of the end zone," said Dlouhy, who added he wasn't a bit surprised Boise State drove 80 yards the way it did. "I'll believe anything of these guys, they never give up."
For a while it looked like Boise State was going to steamroll to the national championship. Riding the passing of Aliotti, Bedard's receiving and the running of Cedric Minter (105 yards on 22 carries), the Broncos broke to a 21-10 lead with 12:25 left in the third quarter. Minter went up the middle one yard for the touchdown.
But then the Eastern Kentucky offense – which had trouble moving in the first half against a Boise State defense that effectively shut down the run – came to life and the game became a question of who had the ball last.
With the darting Isaac leading the way, Eastern Kentucky drove 89 yards to score with 8:187 left in the game on a quarterback keeper around right end. The Colonels went for two and missed when Jerry Parrish was run out at the one-yard line on an end-around.
That made it 21-16.
The Broncos came back to make it 24-16 with 43 seconds left in the third quarter when Kenrick Camerud hit a 24-yard field goal to end a 73-yard drive.
Eastern Kentucky then drove to the Boise State 21 where linebackers Ron Chatterton and Dan Williams forced Isaac to fumble at the 16 and Ralph Esposito fell on the ball.
Eastern Kentucky linebacker David Hill had the Colonels threatening minutes later, however, when he intercepted an Aliotti pass at the Boise State 35 and returned it to the 14. Four plays later, tailback Anthony Braxton boomed in form the two to make it 24-22 with 11:15 left in the game. The Colonels went for two points again but Isaac's pass for Parrish was off target. That ended the scoring for a while, although.
Camerud tried another field goal – a 42-yarder – and was short by feet midway through the period.
Then came the play that had the crowd at Hughes Stadium – not to mention a national television audience, everybody on the sidelines and Boise State's bench puzzled. Eastern Kentucky drove to the Boise State three where, on fourth and goal, the Colonels elected to go for a field goal. On the snap, however, holder Steve Bird took the ball and stood up. He went right, looking for somebody to throw to, but was tackled. Kicker David Flores, the Ohio Valley Conference's career scoring record-holder, stood with his head down on the play. "That wasn't supposed to happen that way," said Flores as he walked off the field. Kidd agreed completely.
"Three points and we're ahead," Kidd said. "Steve just didn't get his hands on the ball and thought he could run it in."
Criner said he was surprised but said the fact Rick Woods, who normally rushes for the block on field goal attempts, slipped and may have given Bird confidence he could run it in.
That missed field goal gave Boise State the ball at the 7 where Bird was tackled. But they couldn't move it. That put the pressure on punter Tom Spadafore who, except for a shanked 17-yard punt in the first quarter that led to EKU's first field goal, kept giving the Broncos great field position.
Spadafore's punt traveled 50 yards this time, putting Eastern Kentucky on its own 40.
Isaac's first-down pass for tight end David Booze was incomplete, his second down toss wasn't. Booze got behind Boise State's secondary, took the ball in and raced 60 yards to make it 28-24 with 55 seconds left. Flores' kick made it 29-24.
"I'll tell you, I was feeling as poor as you could 'cause I let the guys down," said strong safety Woods, whose job it is with Larry Alder to patrol zones of BSU's pass defense. That was the first deep pass Alder – who had a magnificent diving interception earlier in the game – and Woods have given up this year.
"That was a case of Isaac reading the flanker coming across or the split end going deep," said Kidd about the touchdown. "He saw the safety sneaking up a bit and when he saw David get behind him, he threw it."
That touchdown reception set the stage for Boise State's 43-second touchdown march.
In the first half, Boise State ended with a 14-10 lead on two second quarter touchdowns – a 5-yard pass from Aliotti to Bedard with 7:43 left and a one-yard run by Hughes with 1:11 left in the half.
Woods' 16-yard punt return to Eastern Kentucky's 39 set up the first touchdown and Terry Zahner's 34-yard kickoff return to BSU's 48 gave Boise State great field position for the second touchdown.
On the last play of his college football career, on a fourth down that everybody watching on national television knew dictated pass, and with no time left for a second chance, Aliotti once again did the impossible and passed Boise State University to the NCAA's Division I-AA football championship.
Aliotti's blooper pass to tight end Duane Dlouhy – all alone in the left corner of the end zone – with 12 seconds left in the game gave the Broncos a 31-29 victory over Eastern Kentucky before 8,157 spectators and an ABC national television audience in the Camellia Bowl.
Aliotti finished the game with a stunning 24 of 41 passing performance that was worth 358 yards, two touchdowns and a national football championship for the Broncos. A lot of those yards went to split end Kipp Bedard, who took in 11 catches for 212 yards, one of them a 5-yard touchdown.
"I feel 15 feet high," said BSU coach Jim Criner, whose Broncos had 510 yards total offense. More than 1,000 friends and relatives from nearby Pittsburgh, Calif., Aliotti's hometown, were watching at Hughes Stadium as Aliotti led the win. The senior quarterback took the win as if he pulled off miracles every day after lunch.
"Never-say-die, that's why we're champions," said Aliotti to the press, a wad of chewing tobacco settled in the left corner of his mouth. "We knew we could do it."
That Aliotti-to-Dlouhy pass came just 49 seconds after Eastern Kentucky, the defending I-AA champion, exploded into the lead with a 60-yard pass from quarterback Chris Isaac to split end David Booze. That made it 29-24 with just 55 seconds left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff went into the end zone, leaving the Broncos 80 yards from Eastern Kentucky's end zone.
Eastern Kentucky coach Roy Kidd felt like the Colonels were on the verge of winning their second straight national championship after that Isaac-to-Booze pass.
"I knew they'd move the ball, but I felt the best they could get was into field-goal range," Kidd said. "I didn't think they could score a touchdown."
With the ball on their own 20, Boise State's offense went to work, attacking the sidelines so they wouldn't lose much time on the clock. Naturally, Bedard – who had the stands buzzing with his fluid moves against the quicker Eastern Kentucky secondary – was the primary target for a couple of reasons. One, he was hot Saturday and, two, the Broncos' other wide receivers – flankers Scott Newmann and freshman Ron Harvey -w ere so fragile due to injuries.
Criner wasn't sure they'd get through the entire game.
Bedard proved to be enough, however.
On the touchdown drive's first play, Aliotti fired to Bedard at the Bronco 38. Bedard stepped out of bounds with 50 seconds left, Aliotti came right back to Bedard at the Colonel 48. Now, there were 44 seconds left.
The next play was the big one. Aliotti hit a streaking Bedard at about the 25 and he got to the 14 before being dragged down by George Floyd.
"That was just a makeup play," said Bedard of the 34-yard gain. "It was supposed to be an out (pattern) but Joe didn't throw so I just turned up."
Floyd saw Aliotti scramble and hesitated, dropping off Bedard to help contain Aliotti.
"Suddenly Joe saw me and threw me a strike," Bedard said.
Then the drive went sour.
Aliotti overthrew both Bedard and fullback David Hughes on successive downs. On third down, a shot across the middle intended for Bedard was broken up by free safety Rodney Bird.
That made it fourth and 10 at the 14 with just 12 seconds left.
"The primary receiver was supposed to be Duane," said Aliotti, referring to the 6-foot-5 junior tight end from Coeur d'Alene. "I went to Duane but he was covered so I went right. I looked back and he was open."
Aliotti fired the pass up and over an Eastern Kentucky player scrambling back to try and head off disaster for the Colonels but he was too late. Dlouhy gathered in the pass and Boise State had the lead.
"All I had to do was get open and then he saw me in the corner of the end zone," said Dlouhy, who added he wasn't a bit surprised Boise State drove 80 yards the way it did. "I'll believe anything of these guys, they never give up."
For a while it looked like Boise State was going to steamroll to the national championship. Riding the passing of Aliotti, Bedard's receiving and the running of Cedric Minter (105 yards on 22 carries), the Broncos broke to a 21-10 lead with 12:25 left in the third quarter. Minter went up the middle one yard for the touchdown.
But then the Eastern Kentucky offense – which had trouble moving in the first half against a Boise State defense that effectively shut down the run – came to life and the game became a question of who had the ball last.
With the darting Isaac leading the way, Eastern Kentucky drove 89 yards to score with 8:187 left in the game on a quarterback keeper around right end. The Colonels went for two and missed when Jerry Parrish was run out at the one-yard line on an end-around.
That made it 21-16.
The Broncos came back to make it 24-16 with 43 seconds left in the third quarter when Kenrick Camerud hit a 24-yard field goal to end a 73-yard drive.
Eastern Kentucky then drove to the Boise State 21 where linebackers Ron Chatterton and Dan Williams forced Isaac to fumble at the 16 and Ralph Esposito fell on the ball.
Eastern Kentucky linebacker David Hill had the Colonels threatening minutes later, however, when he intercepted an Aliotti pass at the Boise State 35 and returned it to the 14. Four plays later, tailback Anthony Braxton boomed in form the two to make it 24-22 with 11:15 left in the game. The Colonels went for two points again but Isaac's pass for Parrish was off target. That ended the scoring for a while, although.
Camerud tried another field goal – a 42-yarder – and was short by feet midway through the period.
Then came the play that had the crowd at Hughes Stadium – not to mention a national television audience, everybody on the sidelines and Boise State's bench puzzled. Eastern Kentucky drove to the Boise State three where, on fourth and goal, the Colonels elected to go for a field goal. On the snap, however, holder Steve Bird took the ball and stood up. He went right, looking for somebody to throw to, but was tackled. Kicker David Flores, the Ohio Valley Conference's career scoring record-holder, stood with his head down on the play. "That wasn't supposed to happen that way," said Flores as he walked off the field. Kidd agreed completely.
"Three points and we're ahead," Kidd said. "Steve just didn't get his hands on the ball and thought he could run it in."
Criner said he was surprised but said the fact Rick Woods, who normally rushes for the block on field goal attempts, slipped and may have given Bird confidence he could run it in.
That missed field goal gave Boise State the ball at the 7 where Bird was tackled. But they couldn't move it. That put the pressure on punter Tom Spadafore who, except for a shanked 17-yard punt in the first quarter that led to EKU's first field goal, kept giving the Broncos great field position.
Spadafore's punt traveled 50 yards this time, putting Eastern Kentucky on its own 40.
Isaac's first-down pass for tight end David Booze was incomplete, his second down toss wasn't. Booze got behind Boise State's secondary, took the ball in and raced 60 yards to make it 28-24 with 55 seconds left. Flores' kick made it 29-24.
"I'll tell you, I was feeling as poor as you could 'cause I let the guys down," said strong safety Woods, whose job it is with Larry Alder to patrol zones of BSU's pass defense. That was the first deep pass Alder – who had a magnificent diving interception earlier in the game – and Woods have given up this year.
"That was a case of Isaac reading the flanker coming across or the split end going deep," said Kidd about the touchdown. "He saw the safety sneaking up a bit and when he saw David get behind him, he threw it."
That touchdown reception set the stage for Boise State's 43-second touchdown march.
In the first half, Boise State ended with a 14-10 lead on two second quarter touchdowns – a 5-yard pass from Aliotti to Bedard with 7:43 left and a one-yard run by Hughes with 1:11 left in the half.
Woods' 16-yard punt return to Eastern Kentucky's 39 set up the first touchdown and Terry Zahner's 34-yard kickoff return to BSU's 48 gave Boise State great field position for the second touchdown.
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